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I definitely need a girl that has a good sense of humor because there are some girls that are just very uptight. You could be the most beautiful girl, but if you’re stuck up, that doesn’t do it for me. You know? Another thing that to me is a turn-off is a girl that, you know, cares about my craft [too much.] Like, when you choose a girl to be with in life, or just a girl to date, some of these girls they date celebrities just because of what they represent. And that’s pretty obvious. You can’t fake that for too long.

On his relationship with his 13-year-old son:

I think that my son is at a stage [and] at an age, where I have to thank his mother for not talking to him about those early years when I wasn’t there or when I wasn’t being a man about the situation. From what he tells me and from what reflects, I think he’s very proud of me. We have a really cool relationship because I talk to my son like he’s my little homie. I try to be the cool dad, like, “What’s up? How many girls you have?”

On his turn-ons:

I think personality plays a big role. I like a girl that keeps me in love and keeps me entertained.

On whether he seems himself as “traditional” in the romantic sense:

In some ways, I am. I definitely need a woman who can cook. That’s really important. But, even if she doesn’t know how to do those things, as long as she’s willing to learn, then I’m good.

On Drake’s Spanish in “Odio”:

At first, I didn’t have any parts in Spanish for him. But, when we decided to do a bachata — because at first I was thinking of something different with Drake and then he decided he wanted to do a bachata, which was cool ‘cause that’s my thing and that’s my element — [we] changed things up a bit. Then he was like, “Yo, you think you can write some Spanish stuff for me?” And I was like, “Yeah!”

I think a lot of Anglo artists, when they get on a Spanish track, they feel like they want to sing in Spanish or rap in Spanish. Like, I never tell them that’s something they have to do. It was the same thing with Nicki Minaj, she’s rapping over this dancehall rhythm and saying things in Spanish. I didn’t tell her to do that. She wanted to do it. I think they just start feeling the music and want to get in that mood. And, at the same time, that’s cool for me because people who follow them might hear the songs and then be like, “wait, who is that?”

On the first track he recorded for the new album:

The first song was “Inocente.” I’m known for being a storyteller, so I always like the first song on my album to be like a good story. Inocente is this story about this man — played by myself in the song — and he’s on trial for being unfaithful and he’s saying, “I’ve been set up! I’m innocent.” So I’m pleading the case, like “Yo no he hecho nada,” like, “No, the lipstick on my shirt got there.” And there’s all this evidence but I’m like, “I’m about to lose this woman, like she’s slipping through my fingers, and I didn’t do anything. I love her more than anything, and I swear I would never, ever cheat on her.”

On his track with Marc Anthony:

It’s not the first time I’ve done a salsa. Like, I did “Curita” with Aventura, but I think this one will get a real stamp of approval from the die-hard salseros because it features Marc Anthony who is like the king of salsa. And I’m the king of bachata, so you have these two kings, you know.

On his anti-bullying song:

I was thinking about all the friends I have who are gay and how hard they’ve had it, and I decided to write a song for them. Bullying is something we’ve all gone through, but [they] have it really bad. They’re bullied from when they’re little and in school and then they grow up and still have to deal with so much hatred and they’re just being themselves. They were born that way. You gotta accept people the way they are.

On his non-Spanish speaking fans:

It’s like they say: music is universal. Some people might not understand what I’m saying, but they can feel the melody and it speaks to them in some way. We’ve done concerts in Europe and a lot of people didn’t speak Spanish and I’ve been like, “What makes you like this?” ‘Cause I’m always curious to hear what they say. And a lot of the times it will be the beat or the melody or just the sound of my voice.

On being married in the future:

I can picture myself having a family. I can picture myself having kids. But I can’t imagine myself being married. I don’t know if I believe in marriage. I believe in love.

I think marriage works for some people, but I just don’t think it could work for me. I don’t see it. And, I mean, I’m 32. I feel like the best relationships I’ve been in are those where things were more laid-back. You know, it’s just a piece of paper. It doesn’t have to do with feelings. And I think marriage can sometimes turn things into a business.

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